Mr. Hamdi Akin

Hamdi Akin Chairman Chairman of Akfen Holding Member of Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) and Turkey Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
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Hamdi Akin, Chairman of the Board of Directors,

Hamdi Akin was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TAV Airports Holding in 1997. He is the founder and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Akfen Holding, a TAV Airports Holding shareholder. A graduate of Gazi University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, in 1976 Akin founded the Akfen Group, a conglomerate that operates in construction, tourism, commerce and service sectors. In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, he has undertaken infrastructure and construction projects within the scope of privatization. Mr. Akin is the board member of the Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen (TÜSIAD).

Akfen General Holding CEO Hamdi Akin asserted that funds coming from the IMF must be used to ease the burden of the financial sector. "It will not help if the government decides to allocate the money to pay for the approaching local elections, for instance," he noted.

Hamdi Akin
Chairman of the Board
Tav Havalimanlari Holding A.S.

Akfen Holding's chairman Hamdi Akin said international investment bank Goldman Sachs bought minority shares of Akfen Immovables Investment Partnership (GYO) and became a financial partner."Goldman Sachs will make joint investments with Akfen GYO for eight years," he also said.

The chairman of the board of directors of TAV, Hamdi Akin, said: "the record amount of $5 billion for the public offer by foreign investors is a confirmation of trust in Turkey ."

Hamdi Akin, the Executive Board President of Akfen Holding, the share holder of TAV, which operates Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, pointed out that Istanbul will receive the biggest damage in case Turkey enters Iraqi war.

Akin said number of passengers, expected to be 10 million this year, will decrease 50-60 percent in case of Iraqi war, because tourists and businessmen constitute 52 percent of number of passengers who are directly effected by war.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

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PRIME MINISTER LAUNCHES PEACE MOBILIZATION

Akfen Holding CEO Hamdi Akin said Monday, "We will present our customers the same comfort at a cost of $40-70."Businessmen are unable to find four star hotels except in some of the larger cities, Akin said, "The Sheraton or Hilton standards are obvious.Our French partner manages Ibis (3 star) and Novotel (4 star) chains.We will carry this chain to Anatolia."The first in this string of hotel chains, Acchotel, has been realized in Zeytinburnu, Istanbul.The hotel at an estimated cost of $23 million will be open for business in late 2006.Akin says the new investment will bring direct employment opportunities to 300 people and indirect employment to a further 2,000 people.Accor, one of the largest tourism companies in the world, employs150 thousand people in 140 countries and has an annual turnover of seven billion euros, also has 4,000 hotels responding to different needs from the economy to luxury market.Sivas e gli investimenti industrialiAkfen Holding along with Tepe Group won the bid for the management of Ataturk Airport in Istanbul for 15 years at a record price of $3 billion.Five hotels will be added to the chain in every five years.With a plan is to reach a 60 hotel target within 12 years, the commercial development will be taken into account in regard to city selection.Akin went on to say regarding the aim of the project, "We will be the owners of the buildings, while Accor will be handle management.

After that I believe they will make decisions on local issues," said Akfen Holding Chairman Hamdi Akin.

Akfen Holding CEO Hamdi Akin, while summarizing his views about the real sector, said, "Let alone October 3, we do not even have any worries about the 10 years ahead of us."

Akin shows the investments and privatizations thus far realized as the best examples that they do not have any worries about the future of the Turkish economy.According to Akin, who expressed that local and foreign investors did not invest in Turkey by considering October 3, things will not break off if the result is negative.Akin, who said the business world does not even want to hear this kind of negativity, stressed the market dos not find this kind of developments noteworthy.